The Filipino Community in Albuquerque

Overview and Brief History:
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands in the South China Sea situated between Taiwan to the north and Borneo to the south. Just 2,000 of its islands are inhabited and only 500 are larger than a kilometer square. The nine largest islands of Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Samar, Negros, Leyte and Cebu make up 90% of the nation's land area. In the Philippines there are some 87 Austronesian languages. The five largest, Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon and Bicolano are spoken by three-quarters of the population. Spanish, English and Philipino are the official languages.

The original people of the Philippines were the ancestors of the people known as Negritos or Aeta. The Aeta were a short-statured Australo-Melanesian nomadic hunting and gathering people with dark skin and tight, curly brown hair. They were once widespread throughout the Philippines but are now found only in the remote highland areas of Luzon, Palawan, Panay, Negros and Mindanao. It’s unknown whether Austronesian seafarers first went to India or whether Indian merchants came to the Malay peninsula. What is known is that India found sources of gold on the Malay Peninsula and in 100 AD, founded the port of Kedah to export the Malayan gold home. At this same point in time, the cultural imports of metal working, water buffalo, irrigation, and wet rice field agriculture spread through the archipelago from India and China. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries Islam spread to the Philippine archipelago bringing with it gunpowder, firearms and cannons.

During his sixteenth century attempt to circumnavigate the globe, Ferdinand Magellan landed on the island of Homonhon (now Eastern Samar). On March 28, 1521, Magellan reached the Island of Limasawa where he made a blood compact with chieftain of the island, Rajah Kolambu and his brother, Rajah Siagu, the king of Butuan. On March 31, 1521, which happened to be Easter Sunday, Mass was helld on the shore of Limasawa. After the Mass, Magellan entertained the Island inhabitants with a spectacular display of European tournament staged by the best swordsmen in his fleet. By sundown, he planted a large wooden cross on the summit of a hill overlooking the sea, named the islands the “Archipelago of St. Lazarus', and claimed the land in the name of Spain. Rajah Humabon and his people were converted to Christianity. Soon other chieftains, except one, submitted to Spanish sovereignty. Lapu-Lapu, the chieftain of Mactan refused to be converted and to pay tribute to Magellan. To make an example of Lapu-Lapu, Magellan invaded Mactan with an assault force of 60 steel-clad Europeans in three ships. Lapu-Lapu and his men fought valiantly and killed Magellan. As a result of this battle, the Cebuanons killed most of Magellan’s men. Only two ships, the Trinidad and the Victoria survived to leave the Philippines.

The success of Magellan’s voyaged encouraged Spain to send more expeditions to the East. None of these expeditions from Spain succeeded in reaching the Philippines. In 1527, under the command of Alvaro de Saavedra an expedition of three ships and 120 men set sail from Mexico. Carrying a letter of apology prepared by Cortes upon orders of King Charles I to the Cebuan ruler for Magellan and his men’s rude treatment of the natives. Saavedra reached Mindanao but never reached the Cebuan islands.

In 1542, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos led another expedition from Mexico to the Philippines. He reached the island of Mindanao and other nearby islands. Before leaving for the Moluccas, he named the archipelago, “Islas Filipinas,” after Prince Philip of Austria, later King Philip II of Spain. The Philippines was not formally organized as a Spanish colony until 1565 when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi was appointed as “Adelantado” and Governor-General. Father Urdaneta was the chief navigator and spiritual adviser of the Legazpi expedition.

Legazpi selected Manila for the capital of the colony which was at that time administered from Mexico. Filipino commerce centered on the galleon trade between Manila and Acapulco. Chinese silk, spices, tobacco, gold, jewelry, and porcelain were shipped to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. As was typical of Spanish colonies at the time, the Philippines became Catholicized. The Spanish also created privileged landholding elite and introduced a class division in Philippine society that has been the perennial source of social discontent and political strife ever since.

The Spanish hold on the Philippines weakened in 1762 when the British captured Manila during the Seven Years' War. The Treaty of Paris returned Manila to Spain; but from this point forward Britain dominated the lucrative Chinese trade and the Spanish lost prestige and respect in the eyes Filipinos. The islands began to see competition and trade with other nations and the galleon trade came to an end in 1815. Following Mexican independence in 1821, Spain was forced to govern the colony directly from Madrid.

In 1868, a liberal revolution in Spain deposed Queen Isabella II and gave rise to the short lived First Republic during which time censorship was abolished and Filipinos were given the rights of free speech and assembly. Rafael de Izquierdo, who came to power in 1871, promptly rescinded the liberal measures. The following year the Spanish brutally suppressed a popular revolt and many liberals were arrested and/or driven into exile. A military court condemned three reformist Catholic Fathers to death and created martyrs for the nationalist cause.

The war for independence began in earnest in 1896. After the assasination of Andres Bonifacio who was the leader of the Katipunan uprising against Spain, Emilio Aguinaldo became the leader of the rebels. The rebels could not defeat the Spanish regulars in the field but the Spanish could not defeat the guerrillas. Eventually, Aguinaldo and his government retired in voluntary exile to Hong Kong, thereby ending the stalemate. Meanwhile, relations between the United States and Spain deteriorated over the war for independence in Cuba and on February 15, 1898, the American battleship, USS Maine, exploded and sank in Havana harbor under mysterious circumstances. The United States declared war on Spain and Commodore George Dewey attacked and destroyed the Spanish fleet in the Philippines.

Aguinaldo arrived back in the Philippines, routed the demoralized Spanish forces in the provinces, laid siege to Manila, and proclaimed Philippine independence. Following the end of the war with Spain, America turned its attention to Manila and American troops were sent from San Francisco. The Spanish surrendered and the Americans took possession of Manila in a ceremony that excluded Aguinaldo's forces. When it became apparent that the United States did not intend to recognize Philippine independence, Aguinaldo moved his capital to Malalos in Bulacan and proclaimed the Malolos Constitution and the First Philippine Republic.

The Philippine War of Independence began anew in 1899 and continued until Aguinaldo was captured in 1901 and called on his soldiers to put down their arms. The war took the lives of 4,234 Americans and 16,000 Filipinos, although as many as 200,000 civilians may have died from related famine and disease.

Immigration to the United States and Albuquerque:
The earliest Filipino immigrants in America arrived in Acapulco on Spanish galleons. Some of these early immigrants migrated northward to California. Shortly following the quelling of the Philippine War of Independence, immigration began in earnest, first to Hawaii and then to California. Most of these earlier Philippine immigrants were farm laborers and government scholars. Some eventually migrated to New Mexico, attracted by agricultural jobs and a Spanish speaking Catholic population. These agricultural immigrants came from states such as Washington, California, and Arizona and settled in the New Mexican communities of Grants, Los Lunas, Moriarty, Estancia, and Jemez Springs. Many of these Filipinos stayed in New Mexico and intermarried with local New Mexicans. By 1910 there were 27 known Filipinos living in New Mexico.

The majority of New Mexico’s Filipino population arrived following the Second World War. Part of this immigration to New Mexico had to do with the fact that there were a disproportionate number of New Mexican soldiers stationed in the Philippines during the war. Many of these New Mexicans were members of the New Mexico National Guard 200th Coastal Artillery and many of them were killed prior to the surrender of Bataan and Corregidor. More perished in the tragic Bataan Death March, less than half of whom survived to return to New Mexico. Among the soldiers who survived were Anglo, Hispanic, Navajo, and Pueblo men and some of these soldiers brought Filipino brides home with them. The earliest of post-WWII Filipino migrations were soldiers, who served as Philippine Scouts under the US Armed Forces, and their dependents. Other immigrants consisted of nurses and medical doctors who were recruited for the Public Health Service later to become the Indian Health Service. Filipino nuns and priests were also recruited by the Gallup and Albuquerque Archdiocese and the Canossian Sisters.

Since 1965, migration to the US and New Mexico significantly increased. The immigration laws established a preferential treatment for professionals and family members. Greater numbers of professionals such as engineers, accountants, nurses, and medical doctors migrated to Albuquerque. Filipinos are among the fastest growing minority group in New Mexico. Majority of the Filipinos are first generation migrations. A few are first and second generation According to the Census, there were 1,730 Filipinos living in and around Albuquerque in 2000.

FANHS Founders

Cultural Practices Maintained in Albuquerque:
The majority of the Filipino immigrants in Albuquerque are from the lowland tradition of the islands. Because so many languages are used in the Philippines, language preservation is dependent upon the particular language in question. Obviously, English and Spanish are not an issue for Filipino immigrants in New Mexico. Many immigrant children understand Tagalog, Visayan and Ilokano. The desire to assimilate, to blend in with other Americans, is the most common reason for loss of language.

Filipino food has influences from Spain, China, the Middle East, as well as from all the different cultures in geographic proximity of the islands. Chicken adobo, egg rolls, and fried rice are some of these world-influenced Filipino dishes. Many of them have taken on a uniquely Filipino character. For example, the Filipino egg roll differs from the Chinese egg roll in that a thinner wrapper is used and it is filled with more meat than cabbage. Many Filipino recipes contain coconut, which is prevalent on the islands, as a common ingredient. Coconut oil is also used for hair conditioner, making soap, and cooking.

The traditional barong tagalog is worn by Filipinos during festivals and special occasions. The barong tagalog is an embroidered long-sleeve shirt made of pineapple fiber or raw silk that is similar to guayabera shirts (also known as Mexican wedding shirts), and are worn loose outside men’s pants. In the past, class distinction determined the way it was worn. The upper class Filipino men wore the barong tagalog tucked inside their pants. After the Americans left the Philippines, the fashion for all was to wear the barong tagalog loose outside men’s pants. The barong tagalog is the office wear for men. Nowadays, women also wear the barong tagalog.

Artistic and Cultural Traditions:
Filipino music and dance are quite alive in Albuquerque. There are several dance groups, one rondalla group as well as solo Filipino musicians and singers. The Philippines are divided into regions and there are different folk dances from each of them. There are Spanish-influenced dances, such as the Rigodon, which is like a minuet, and there are Muslim and provincial, or tribal dances influenced by daily activities. Each dance tells a story, even about common things. The Pandanggo Sa Ilaw, or Candlelight Dance, sometimes called the Dance with Light, is performed with three lit candles in clear glass bowls. One is balanced on the head of the dancer and the other two are held in each hand. There is a dance that depicts the planting of rice, its sorting and milling. The Singkil is a story dance from the southern Philippines about a Muslim princess who is caught in an earthquake and 4 bamboo poles are crossed and clapped representing trees that are falling.

The Philippine Cultural Group of Albuquerque performs at the Albuquerque Museum

The Tinikling is considered to be the Filipino national dance and it is performed with 2 bamboo poles. Tiklings, similar to herons, are noisy birds that hop from ricefield to ricefield and eat thefarmers’ crops. In the dance, a male and a female dancer take on the characteristics of the birds and hop from one pole to the other. The Maglalatik is like a mock war dance usually done by men with coconut shells that they put on their chest, shoulders, hips, and hold one in each hand. They hit the coconut shells on their bodies with the shells on their hands. It is a tribute to the patron saint of farmers, San Isidro.

The Sinolog is a prayer dance for the Baby Jesus done in one of the provinces. The Cariñosa is a courtship dance involving two to six couples. The women carry and drop a handkerchief and cover their faces with a fan. The Subli is an ancient fast dance in veneration of the Holy Cross. Subli means “stooping” and the dancer stoops using castanets. All Filipino dances are group dances.

The clothing worn to perform these dances in America has become westernized. The dress is no longer considered traditional and it is referred to as costumes. One popular style of women’s traditional dress is called the Maria Clara. The name Maria Clara refers to both the woman from Jose Rizal’s novel and the symbolic Maria Clara style dress. The dress is mestizo, with indigenous and Spanish influences and it consists of a flared skirt with bell-shaped sleeves made out of pineapple fiber. It is typically worn with Spanish influenced dances. A matching embroidered shawl is also worn. The Maria Clara outfit is sometimes worn brides at their weddings.

There is an active rondalla group called Rondalla Maharlika in Rio Rancho. Typical instrumentation of a rondalla group includes a banduria, octavina, guitar, and bass, although sometimes violins are also used. The Filipino banduria is an adaptation of the Spanish one introduced to the Islands four-hundred years ago. It has fourteen strings in six unequal courses and it is tuned in straight fourths starting with “E” in the bass. It is tuned in a mandolin range with the bass string “E” below Middle “C.” The Octavina is set up the same as the banduria, but tuned an octave lower. The guitar, typically the standard Spanish nylon string one, employs standard guitar tuning. The bass is a standard four-string stand-up bass tuned in fourths.

Much of the standard repertoire of the Filipino rondalla tradition came out of the brass marching bands that accompanied U.S. troops stationed in the Philippines at the turn of the twentieth century. Many of the melodies are reminiscent of John Phillips Souza. There is another branch of the rondalla repertoire that is most definitely of Spanish origin, and many of these melodies have Spanish names. There are also very distinctive indigenous folk melodies with names in Tagalog or Ilocano as well as Spanish.

There is a tradition of shadow box puppetry in the Philippines that is practiced in Albuquerque by one Filipino woman. In the shadow box tradition, a play or skit is acted out by silhouette figures that are skillfully maneuvered across the screen of the box with sticks or dowels. There is another Filipino woman, Tessie Ordoña Greenfield, who works with hand puppets and marionettes to teach the Filipino language of Tagalog and Filipino folktales to children http://kidstale-nm.com.

Annual Events and Celebrations:
Many Filipinos in Albuquerque celebrate their liberation from the Spaniards in December by having a party.

Santa Cruz de Mayo (Santacruzan) is traditionally observed by Filipinos in May. In the Philippines it is a Novena, or nine-day religious celebration, but in Albuquerque, only the last day observed. The celebration includes a mass, usually held at San Felipe de Neri in Old Town, and a procession or pageant follows the mass. The event commemorates St. Helena’s finding the Holy Cross. Three queens, Reina Sheba, Reina Justicia, and Reina Flores, are all honored and are represented by young women from the community in the celebration and procession. Reina Flores represents the flowers that bloom all over the Philippines in May, Reina Sheba represents the biblical consort of of King Solomon, and Reina Justica is representative of the iconic Filipina Maria Clara.

Conclusions:
Many in the Filipino Community would like New Mexicans to be aware of the similar heritages the two locations share. For example, both were colonized and ruled by the Spanish. The Philippines became and American territories at about the same time New Mexico gained statehood. The famous Rough Riders, many of whom hailed from New Mexico also saw service in the Philippines.

The Filipino American National Historical Society Rio Grande (FANHS RG) was started in Albuquerque in 1998 and it is one of 21 chapters nationally. There is also a Philippine-American Association of New Mexico that was founded to honor José Rizal, a Filipino national hero. Finally there is a third organization the Philippine Cultural Group of Albuquerque who works at preserving traditions.

For more information, please visit www.pinoy-newmexico.com